ISRAEL CONFIRMS SUCCESSFUL AIRBORNE LASER INTERCEPTION OF DRONES

The Israeli defense establishment recently completed the first test of an airborne laser system, which successfully destroyed several drones, in what Defense Minister Benny Gantz hailed a major "technological breakthrough," Amos Harel reported for Haaretz newspaper.

As part of the tests, the laser intercepted several unmanned aerial vehicles flying at various altitudes and at varying ranges. The system was developed by Elbit Systems, and the tests were done in coordination with the air force and the Defense Ministry’s Weapons Development and Technology Infrastructure Administration (MAFAT in Hebrew).

The idea of using lasers as a way of intercepting rockets was first investigated in the 1990s, but Israel stopped pursuing the idea by 2000. Following the Second Lebanon War, efforts to develop a system for intercepting short- and mid-range rockets and missiles were resumed in 2006, leading to the development of the Iron Dome system a few years later.

Two years ago, a breakthrough enabled Israel to resume developing a laser-based system that would be much cheaper than Iron Dome. This time, however, Israel used electrical lasers, instead of the chemical ones used in previous tests.

The project involves an airborne laser, developed by Elbit, as well as a ground-based laser developed by Rafael Advanced Weapons Systems.

The laser system, if and when it becomes operational, will complement the systems used for missile interception, including Iron Dome, David’s Sling (formerly known as Magic Wand) for mid-range targets and Arrow 3 for long-ranged ones.

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